In what was considered impossible, Republican Scott Brown defeats Democrat Martha Coakley and becomes the next senator of Massachusetts.

[Perchoutofwater]

 

People are worried about the economy and jobs not health care. until the job market is fixed that is all the American public will worry about.

 

I agree. I'd also note that the health care debate has had a negative effect on the economy and jobs. Health care is 1/6 of economy, and for the last year it has been in limbo. I've been told specifically by two health systems and one single hospital that they are not planning any construction projects until they see what direction health care is taking. So basically 1/6 of construction projects have been effectively on hold pending health care reform. This is about to hurt my company as historically 30-40% of our work is building and renovating hospitals. If you look at what the market did yesterday on the back of health care stocks when it became apparent that Brown was going to win, it is apparent that the reform that was in the current legislation was detrimental to health care businesses as well as businesses that rely on health care for work.

[evil_gop_liars]

I heard that if Brown won the stock market would take off.

 

Ummm...apparently the market is NOT so happy with the results.

 

Come on this the new era of Scott "naked man" Brown, so lets use the correct terminology.

 

 

The market is flaccid at the moment.

 

 

 

[Hugh 0ne]

I heard that if Brown won the stock market would take off.

 

Ummm...apparently the market is NOT so happy with the results.

 

Either you are clueless or just as bad as the people with opposite political views that you constantly belittle. You spend all your energies trying to find negativity in the things you disagree with or don't like. My original Have to agree here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! response was probably more at your level, but in case you were wondering (which you weren't, so this is just to enlighten anyone that might actually believe your drivel), the markets are down today mainly for 2 reasons: the fear that the Chinese are going to tighten credit, and the new housing numbers that came out are disappointing, once again.

 

 

 

[cre8tiff]

Come on this the new era of Scott "naked man" Brown, so lets use the correct terminology.

 

 

The market is flaccid at the moment.

 

 

 

 

hehehehe you said flaccid.

[Pope Flick]

After Grassley pulled his delaying tactic, the worst thing the Dems did was pull budget reconciliation off the table in health care. That led to a watered down BS version lacking the public option that a clear majority of people both support and wanted. They should now go back to that and bring on health care reform that would control costs, instead of bolstering insurance companies who still want to cut people and not pay out in order to get even higher profits than last year. Obama ran hard on health care, which is a large reason why he won.

 

 

In regards to MA, driving 200,000 miles in a state certainly has a greater impact than sitting back and talking about keeping "Kennedy's seat" - which was probably Coakley's biggest blunder. Brown's response was damning, especially in this political climate. Good on him, but good luck in 2012: does he piss off his tea partier support by voting with Obama here and there or does he hold the tebagger line and find a sober electorate then?

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

Either you are clueless or just as bad as the people with opposite political views that you constantly belittle. You spend all your energies trying to find negativity in the things you disagree with or don't like. My original Have to agree here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! response was probably more at your level, but in case you were wondering (which you weren't, so this is just to enlighten anyone that might actually believe your drivel), the markets are down today mainly for 2 reasons: the fear that the Chinese are going to tighten credit, and the new housing numbers that came out are disappointing, once again.

 

 

 

 

 

I stand corrected. (I haven't watched or read any financial news this morning, just saw the numbers.)

[moneymakers]

2012

 

isn't that the year that the original Americans get the right to vote for the emperor of the new China?

[Hugh 0ne]

 

I stand corrected. (I haven't watched or read any financial news this morning, just saw the numbers.)

 

I'm not taking my back.

[Hugh 0ne]

2012

 

isn't that the year that the original Americans get the right to vote for the emperor of the new China?

 

No silly, that's the year the world ends.

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

I'm not taking my back.

 

Can we rename that the :scottbrown: smilie?

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

The liberal's take...

[i_am_the_swammi]

So, across the US 65% realize if health care reform is passed it will more than likely cause their plans to be more expensive and quite possibly cause the coverage they currently like to be reduced.

 

Taking care of a nation has its costs. If anyone felt that instituing a healthcare system that gave options to the uninsured was going to be free...well, they were wrong.

 

The difference here is that MA already absorbed those costs, and was a progressive enough state to realize that it was important to offer insurance to the uninsurable. Why on earth would they support a federal bill that, in essesence, would provide them no additional benefit, but more cost (since they'd have to pay their share of the cost of rolling it out nationally)?

 

If you are really trying to evaluate the impact of whether a blue state would go red, the PA senate seat will be a much better barometer of what Joe Public really thinks of all this.

[Perchoutofwater]

The liberal's take...

 

That dude is insane. He thinks Obama didn't mention what he "inherited" enough. He thinks the American people don't deserve transparency. He thinks Obama wasn't liberal enough, and that the American people didn't understand what was going on. For the first time in a long time the American people are paying attention.

[Yukon Cornelius]

For the first time in a long time the American people are paying attention.

U can not be serious.....

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

Taking care of a nation has its costs. If anyone felt that instituing a healthcare system that gave options to the uninsured was going to be free...well, they were wrong.

 

The difference here is that MA already absorbed those costs, and was a progressive enough state to realize that it was important to offer insurance to the uninsurable. Why on earth would they support a federal bill that, in essesence, would provide them no additional benefit, but more cost (since they'd have to pay their share of the cost of rolling it out nationally)?

 

If you are really trying to evaluate the impact of whether a blue state would go red, the PA senate seat will be a much better barometer of what Joe Public really thinks of all this.

 

Pelosi insisted Democrats could still make it happen. "We will get the job done. I am confident of that. I have always been confident of that," she told reporters as she left the Capitol at 11:30 p.m.

"Massachusetts has health care and so the rest of the country would like to have that too," Pelosi said, referring to the state’s health care program. "So we don't [think] a state that already has health care should determine whether the rest of the country should."

 

 

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/...l#ixzz0dAemXp11

[Duchess Jack]

For the first time in a long time the American people are paying attention.

or perhaps (as always) they are won over by the people who shout the loudest. get enough people to shout the same thing and it seems like the truth.

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

I don't think the democrats should try to ram anything through. Go back to the drawing board. Come up with a truly bipartisan bill that makes sense and do it incrementally if necessary.

[Duchess Jack]

I don't think the democrats should try to ram anything through. Go back to the drawing board. Come up with a truly bipartisan bill that makes sense and do it incrementally if necessary.

I don't think the right would let it happen. It all started when Obama was first talking about the budget and invited folk from across the isle into the conversation. In retaliation, the GOP called a meeting and decided to ALL vote no on the budget. That is what they would do with health care as well. Any progress made on health care would lift the left and hurt the right. They will not allow that, even if a plan is created that works and helps America.

[bpwallace49]

Whole lotta things in this thread.

 

1.) If Kennedy was a Republican, he would hav still held that seat for 40+ years. His FAMILY is an institution in MA. To imply this is a groundswell that somehow collectively moons Obama personally is erroneous.

2.) This shown how horrible the Democratic party is at running an effective campaign, and how efficient the Republicans are at running a SUCCESSFUL campaign. Coakley (in RED SOX NATION said that Curt Shilling was a Yankee . . ooops.) He might as well have said Tom Brady was a Jet. Coakley ran a horrible race, and was very uninspired and lazy. Horrible job by the DEm party leadership to not pick a better candidate, even another Kennedy to play on the name recognition. Brown is a GREAT representation of the power of independent voters that actually decide who gets elected. He ran a great campaign, shook a lot of hands, and tapped into the upswell that goes against every incumbent. COngrats to Brown on a great campaign (and great support and advisors from the most organized party in the Republicans) and a well-earned victory. Memo to Coakley . . . you just cant sit back and expeect a victory to get handed to you. You have to work for it . . .

3.) Are we really going to have self serving threads every time a Republican gets elected? Cause there will be a lot more threads to come then :rollseyes: It is a natural correction to the pendulum swinging so far to the left after 2008. Inevitable really . . . if anyone expected the Dems to maintain the huge number advantages they are sadly mistaken.

4.) Amazing that everyone keeps harping on how "liberal" Mass is . . . but dont they have a REPUBLICAN GOVENOR in Mitt Romney that ran for President? I would be more surprised if a lib state like WISCONSIN that has two Democrat senators and a Democrat Governor elects a Repub senator . . .

5.) Brown ran on a lot of moderate views (including voting for a pretty comphrensive health care plan for MAss already). I seriously hope that he actually sticks to his guns and votes accordingly, and doesnt get captured by the Republican party and fall into lockstep voting. Moderates and Independents voted Brown in, lets see if he actually represents independent and moderate views . . . . I aint holding my breath. . .

 

I actually hope MORE Republicans get elected in the fall . . . then it becomes put up or shut up time. Interesting to see if any actual business will get done, or just de-evolve into partisan hackery again. Loooove me some politics!!!!!

[bushwacked]

 

He's still a Northeastern Repub. How fervent will the love affair be in a year from now after he frequently breaks ranks with the party line?

[Pope Flick]

I don't think the democrats should try to ram anything through. Go back to the drawing board. Come up with a truly bipartisan bill that makes sense and do it incrementally if necessary.

 

 

You haven't been paying attention: the public option had a 55%+ support rate through the summer. Several Republicans engaged the president in the spirit of bipartisanship, then one of the main ones - Grassley - went home and said " I do not and never will support health care reform." Obama was elected handily on the issue and he ran from the most popular component of the bill. They're blocking reform simply to block it at this point. At least their behavior makes it very easy to say so.

[Caveman_Nick]

You haven't been paying attention: the public option had a 55%+ support rate through the summer. Several Republicans engaged the president in the spirit of bipartisanship, then one of the main ones - Grassley - went home and said " I do not and never will support health care reform." Obama was elected handily on the issue and he ran from the most popular component of the bill. They're blocking reform simply to block it at this point. At least their behavior makes it very easy to say so.

 

Considering the implications of a move to public healthcare, the potential costs, and the potential detriment to the quality of care overall, do you think that it is right to shove a bill through that's only getting 55% support, assuming your number is accurate?

[Azazello1313]

Many of the problems we face have taken 200 years to create. Some have taken 50, some 20. Sure, some have taken 8, in the same way that many of the problems we are facing have taken about a year to create.

 

Perhaps we need some elected officials that are focused on undoing much of what the Fed Gov has done as opposed to ones who are trying to do more. More is not necessarily better.

 

this.

 

The liberal's take...

 

obama's problem is that he's not blaming bush enough? he's being too bipartisan? that moron needs to step out of the echo chamber.

[Pope Flick]

Considering the implications of a move to public healthcare, the potential costs, and the potential detriment to the quality of care overall, do you think that it is right to shove a bill through that's only getting 55% support, assuming your number is accurate?

 

 

The number was accurate over the summer beofre the noise machine and watered down versions began. And yes, I do.

[borge007]

I think you need to step back and try to understand what just happened to you. I guess my first response would be anger like yours as well. Take a couple of days to compose yourself and put some thought into why one of the most LIBERAL states in the nation just rejected liberal politics. This was clearly a referendum on Democratic polices and leadership.

 

My oh my-yer sooooooo smart